Quincy musician awarded $50,000 fellowship from United States Artists

Panamanian jazz great, Quincy resident and artistic director of the Berklee Global Jazz Institute Danilo Pérez has been named a 2018 United States Artists Fellow.

Pérez is one of 45 artists and collectives selected to receive a $50,000 unrestricted award that recognizes, “their contributions to the field, honors their creative accomplishments, and supports their ongoing artistic and professional development,” according to the Chicago-based United States Artists.

Pérez, a Grammy-winning pianist, composer, and educator, said the grant will provide the opportunity to work on a number of musical projects he’s been developing. “I’d like to form a band with musicians from different parts of the world to create music that provides a platform for intercultural dialogue,” he said.

Pérez was also recently honored at the 15th annual Panama Jazz Festival where Rafael Pino-Pinto, the governor of Panama, presented him with the nation’s first Victorian Lorenzo Award, named after Panama’s great hero. Pérez, who founded the jazz festival in 2003 and serves as its artistic director, was given the award in recognition of his enduring contributions to art and culture in Panama.

United States Artist Fellows are awarded to artists at all stages of their careers through a rigorous nomination and selection process. The fellows come from across the country, and represent various fields of artistic production: architecture and design, craft, dance, media, music, theater and performance, traditional arts, visual arts, and writing. Other recipients in the field of music include Wayne Shorter, Terence Blanchard, Amir ElSaffar, Ruthie Foster, Tania León, Toshi Reagon, Somi and Tyshawn Sorey.

The fellowships look “to address the lack of unrestricted funding available to artists,” reports the organization’s website.